


It's Nothing.

by darksquall



Series: It's Nothing [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21678877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darksquall/pseuds/darksquall
Summary: Another one of the prompt fics I wrote a while back, polished up a tiny bit and tossed up here since it was such a short chapter this week. NOTE! Unrelated to "Let him go." totally different universe. Prompt #9 "It's Nothing."Seifer is back at Balamb after the war, dealing with the fallout of Things What Have Happened and Squall takes some time to duel and chat with him. Seifer finds out some things he probably would have preferred not to know. Implied non-con very vaguely, implied mind control, knight-sorceress shit.
Relationships: Seifer Almasy/Squall Leonhart
Series: It's Nothing [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577059
Comments: 10
Kudos: 59





	It's Nothing.

Some things never changed. The sun rose. The sun set. The cafeteria ran out of hotdogs. He and Squall sparked and duelled at any chance they got. 

A little sorceress war and a few months of trying to kill each other mostly at a distance wasn’t going to change _that_.

Still, he’d hardly expected to be sitting in detention again, looking across the desk at Squall Leonhart. Mostly in the past, Squall had been beside him if he’d been in detention, or Seifer himself had been the one to dole it out as part of the disciplinary committee so their positions had been reversed. “It’s nothing,” Seifer said firmly, hoping that if he sounded convincing enough that he’d believe it himself as well. 

Squall, true to form, said nothing. His ice cold gaze remained steady as he sat back in the instructor’s chair at the head of the classroom, folding his arms across his chest and watching Seifer. It was the silence that Seifer had never been able to take and it was always deafening. That was why he’d pushed so hard, wanting to get a reaction out of Squall, wanting to see his self control shatter. It had worked well then. He couldn’t do it anymore. Well. Not with an audience.

He tried to ignore Squall’s too cool presence. Focusing on the work screen in front of himself with a scowl that would have better fitted the commander, he tried to ignore the weight of those eyes on him like the weight of a gunblade against his throat. Not that he didn’t deserve it, but it grated. Everything grated. From classes under the people he’d fought in the war to just having to catch Squall watching him so often. 

Seifer had caught him watching of course. The only reason Seifer had even returned to Garden was because of the young man in front of him. His other option had been far more final, according to what he’d overheard from the teachers and other students here and there.

So Seifer whiled away his time mostly alone, snagging his duels here and there when he could. The early mornings. The evenings. Occasionally at the weekends on a quiet afternoon. The rest of his time he studied and tried to keep his head down, but there were always people who had other ideas. 

“Kadowaki said she treated you for bruised ribs.”

Seifer took a steadying breath and lifted his eyes to Squall again. Just when he’d managed to actually read a full sentence of the far too turgid article on Guardian Force history too. “And?”

“Who was it?”

“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, _Commander,_ ” Seifer had perfected a way of saying Squall’s current title in a manner that almost dripped with poison. He was quite proud of it, all things considered. It was his favourite word for the moment. “I told you, It’s nothing.”

“You’ve been to the infirmary five times in the last fortnight.”

Seifer scoffed. “And if I was permitted a GF outside of class, I wouldn’t have been once.”

“Why do you think I made sure you hand in your GFs, Seifer?” Squall raised an eyebrow at him. One perfect, slender eyebrow. It made his scar shift and curl just a little. Seifer couldn’t help admiring his own handiwork on that face - It gave Squall an entirely different gravitas with it. He’d seen pain, and you could tell. He wasn’t just a pretty boy with eyes like an oncoming snow storm and the wardrobe of a leather fetishist. “How else would I know about this?”

Seifer sighed and rolled his eyes. It was his very best Squall Leonhart impression.

“It’s the Trabians, isn’t it?”

Seifer winced visibly, his reaction giving away the answer as much as a verbal confirmation would have. Why did Squall Leonhart have to be so observant when it convenienced him the least. Why couldn’t he just drop it? “Just leave it alone.”

“Whatever,” Squall replied with a shrug. At least that Seifer had expected. He wasn’t entirely sure that Squall would listen to his request and leave it alone but he’d tried. Of course it was the Trabians. Anyone else Seifer would have handed their own ass three times over on a platter for even daring to touch him, but the Trabians… the trabians had lost so many friends, brothers in arms. It was his fault. He should have been stronger. He should have stopped the sorceress somehow. “Seifer?” Squall spoke up again, dragging his attention back from his thoughts and the screen. 

“What?” 

“You’ve been on the same assignment question for forty minutes. Since it’s just the two of us up here, you want to skip it and finish up with a duel?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” seifer sighed with relief and pushed himself away from the desk. 

“I’ll clear your GF restrictions for the evening too,” Squall logged into the observation screen and gestured through the settings. Somehow command suited him more than lower positions or even learning ever had, there was a satisfied ease to his movements and words now, a confidence he’d lacked in his student days. Then again, Seifer suspected half the difference was in the fact that Squall actually gave a shit these days. That itself was a very new thing, he couldn’t remember Squall ever giving even the slightest shit about anything before his becoming SeeD. 

Hell, he hadn’t even cared about the exam - he’d left the prerequisite test until the very day they were supposed to go in for the SeeD stuff. 

Seifer waited impatiently until Squall gave him the nod of approval, then accessed the GF control screen. He found comfort in pulling Ifrit and Helios back to himself as well as his magic stocks and slotting all of his junctions back into place. It almost felt like coming home. Far more than coming back to Garden ever had, really.

With the junctions set, Seifer stretched and gave Squall a smirk. “Ready to kick your ass.”

“Not quite,” Squall shrugged and got up from his seat. He was wearing his dress uniform, much to the disappointment of all the other leather fetishists in Garden who liked to leer at his ass in the leathers - of course Seifer had seen people looking - and he carefully unfastened the jacket to reach inside. He drew out a hi-potion and offered it over. 

He took the glass vial with a frown. He had been expecting to have to cast on himself or use up one of his own increasingly meagre stocks, and here Squall was just handing him potions. It was weird. Squall was supposed to hate him. “Why do you keep trying to be nice to me these days? It’s okay to admit you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Squall shrugged and gave him a half hearted small smile. Even that was enough to light up a room like nothing else. Supply and demand and all that, Squall Leonhart’s smiles were rarer than Adamantine and Ultima spells. “I understand you better than most.”

“What do you mean?” Seifer asked, and twisted the cap off the vial. As Squall gave a cryptic shrug, Seifer sighed. He drank the potion - cool and bitter on his tongue - but he did feel almost instantly better. At the very least it was easier to take a full breath. The Trabians had done a number on his ribs only the previous day and they were getting better at hiding the evidence.

“Let’s go,” Squall said and turned to leave.

The walk out of Garden and up to their practice grounds was one they’d made hundreds of times, if not thousands. The pathway was so familiar that Seifer was pretty sure he could have made it blindfolded and backwards. They had no need to talk as they reached the duelling area and took up their familiar positions. “Usual rules?” Seifer suggested.

“Mm, sure,” Squall gave a quick nod, drawing his blade. The blue blade shone bright in the late afternoon sun, the colour of a summer sky. Seifer could feel the hum of the pulse ammunition’s power from some distance. He could admit to himself in the heartbeats before they duelled, that he got a little thrill from this. Squall standing there, focused solely on him and the fight that was about to begin.

Seifer let Squall be the one to attack first. Months had passed since the morning they’d exchanged scares and they’d both had so much experience since and not all of it pleasant. They fought hard, minutes rushing by as adamantine clashed with case hardened steel to an ear splitting whine and a shower of sparks over and over. 

Seifer also had to admit, this was the one thing that made his return to garden worth it. A chance to train, a chance to duel Squall again. A chance to see his opponent come alive with the blade in his hands. A chance to be worthy and real once more.

They fought almost to the point of exhaustion and Seifer accepted defeat gracefully when Squall finally managed to disarm him. Mostly because he couldn’t stay standing much longer.

He collapsed breathlessly against a rock to rest. Squall was less tired and retrieved his jacket from nearby to grab a water bottle. After a long drink, he strolled up to hold the bottle out to Seifer.

He hesitated for a moment before he took it and took a sip. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Squall shrugged and settled beside him cross legged. The sun had begun to set as they’d fought, turning the sky to pinks and purples here and there. “Been awhile since we were up here this late.”

“Only because you were busy,” Seifer shrugged.

“I didn’t want to keep you from your homework, too,” Squall gave his sweet little smile, just teasing. 

Seifer ran a hand over his face. “Ugh, don’t remind me. Why did you even let me come back, anyway?”

“Galbadia were going to execute you, I couldn’t let that happen. And the only place I could mostly guarantee your safety was here. So I figured making you take the exam again would be a good distraction. Cheaper than having you guarded at all times too.”

Seifer stared at the commander, his rival and a downright sneaky bastard, that had sat beside him. “I thought… I figured it was something someone demanded as part of me being here.”

“Nope, I just wanted to keep you busy. It’s kept you out of trouble this long.”

“And you didn’t think to maybe tell me?”

“I’m in command, Seifer, that doesn’t mean I’m out of touch _yet_. Need at least a couple of years for that,” Squall rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe to get bitten by a sweater vest.”

On the one hand, Seifer could totally see Squall’s point. If he’d been bought in as a prisoner, he would have been a lot less cooperative and a hell of a lot more combative. By being bought in as a student again, just like the old days, Seifer would have to adhere to certain rules and expectations. He would have to keep to curfew, take care of himself. But at the same time, it would look extremely odd to any outsider who didn’t know how Garden worked internally. “You’re nuts.”

“Mm, probably,” Squall gave a little shrug. “I suspect it helps.”

“What are you going to do when I pass this time? No one’s going to want me to turn up for a mission with my history.”

“You’d be surprised. Anyway, with Esthar active again, we’re going to get more work from there and it’ll be better to have someone who’s essentially immune to further sorceress control,” Squall took the water bottle back and took another long sip. Seifer couldn’t help watching him, the way he did everything was so effortlessly cool and unhurried. The worst part was that he had a point - unless somehow Ultimecia found a way back, he could not be controlled by another sorceress. His bond had been forged and broken with her and she was the only one who would ever be able to use him as a knight. Whether the Estharian people knew that, however, was another matter entirely. 

“How do you know that’ll even happen?”

“I’ve been speaking to the President,” Squall gave an absent little wave of a gesture as though the answer should have been the most obvious thing in the world. “Figuring out a long term plan ready for when I move on.”

Seifer wasn’t sure if he’d somehow misheard what Squall had said. “Wait… you’re leaving?” 

Squall gave a curt nod. “After the next run of exams, yes.” 

“But… _why_?”

“I’m a knight, Seifer. If Rinoa ordered me to tomorrow, I’d use my power here to do just about anything she requested. Up to and including sacking a few countries,” Squall ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Seifer with a frown. Hyne - Seifer had never considered the idea. Of course, Squall was an entirely active knight and that came with huge risks but he’d thought… he’d _hoped_ that it was better for Squall. Better than the things he’d had to do anyway. “That’s why she’s gone home - we both know we can’t let that happen but… you know what the power does… I can’t say no to her, Seifer. About anything.”

“That’s what you meant in the classroom.”

“Hm?”

“About understanding me.”

“Oh…” Squall gave his little shrug and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“So… what have you said yes to that you didn’t want to?” 

“I dated her.”

“Wait… _what_?” 

“I dated her,” Squall repeated, tipping his head to meet Seifer’s gaze steadily. He wasn’t lying. Or joking. “When have you ever known me be interested in women before I became a knight, Seifer?”

He stared at Squall in slowly dawning horror. Of course, Squall had never been interested in any woman. Squall had never even glanced at women except to size them up as an opponent or listen to them in instruction. And then Rinoa had waltzed up and started ‘casting spells’ on him. She’d tried that ‘you’re going to like me’ crap on Seifer as well the first time he’d met, just like Seifer had seen her pull on Squall at the SeeD ball, even without the additional power that Ultimecia and Edea had conferred to her, she’d still had the paramagical spark. Enough to start locking into her knight, when she found him. “Oh. Shit.”

“Mm, so - compromised,” Squall shook his head, folding his hands in his lap and looking down at them. He struggled to meet Seifer’s gaze, perhaps ashamed, perhaps embarrassed after the admission. “I’m going to see this year out, get all the students through their exams and then I’m leaving.”

“Where will you go?”

“I… don’t know,” Squall replied, his voice soft. “Maybe Esthar - I have family there. I can help the president make sure I’m never a threat. Rin’s keeping her powers locked down as much as she can with Odine tech and some other options but…”

“But there’s always a chance she’ll crack and you’ll be unable to stop her. Why are you telling me all this?”

That made a smile curl Squall’s lips and he stole a look up at Seifer. His eyes seemed more silver and alive than ever. “Because Rin told me to.”

“... _what_?”

“I quote ‘you like Seifer, and he knows about all this stuff. Maybe you should talk to him, sometime Squally’,” Squall grimaced as he echoed his nickname from the woman everyone thought he’d loved and shook his head. “Besides, if anyone has to kick my ass for paramagical reasons, it ought to be you. Tit for Tat.”

“You’re supposed to be a hero and shit, Squall,” Seifer said as firmly as he could manage. It was true - it should have been over with the defeat of his own sorceress, but time kompression and sorceress powers marched on, leaving Seifer feeling helpless in its wake. “This is just fucked up.”

“Tell me about it,” Squall said with a humourless chuckle. “Just promise me you’ll make SeeD this time.”

“No pressure, hm?”

“Fate of the world rests on your shoulders. Try to lift with your knees.”

Seifer shook his head and looked up at the rapidly darkening sky, eager for a way to change the subject. “Damn… got late real fast. I should head back, I have an assignment due tomorrow on that lousy GF history article too. The one that would have made a good doorstop.” 

“At least you’ll sleep well after it, that thing was painful,” Squall rubbed a hand over his face and checked the time. “Damn, I have a staff meeting at 7 in the morning, too.”

Seifer rolled to his feet, stretching as soon as he was standing. His back ached and his arms were sore from the fight but he felt better for it. Considering his options for a moment, he offered Squall a hand up. “Nice to know you like me at least, squirt.”

“I didn’t realise you’d ever doubted it,” Squall shrugged and took the offered hand, letting Seifer pull him to his feet. “How many other people did I even talk to before the war?”

“Well… Fuu, Rai” Seifer’s voice trailed off. Yeah, damn, Squall really hadn’t had too many friends before the war. The other two members of the disciplinary committee and a bastard who tried to kick his ass at any opportunity available - Squall definitely needed someone else he could call friend. “You have got to get better taste in acquaintances, Squall.”

“Or at least ones that bounce less. How did I make friends with two morning people since then? Ugh,” he gave a little eyeroll and snagged his jacket again to start for the path down the side of the hill. 

“Hey, Squirt?”

“That’s Commander Squirt to you, Cadet,” Squall paused, looking back at him. He looked better, somehow, than he had. As though some weight had been lifted from his shoulders by sharing. Seifer was pretty sure they’d never talked like this. Probably never would again - they did have a habit of falling into old duels too quickly and easily. 

“Squall. Seriously, are you going to be okay?”

“Maybe. Make SeeD and I’ll be able to sleep a lot easier at night at least. And stop telling me it’s nothing when you have cracked ribs.”

“Okay, okay…” Seifer held up his hands in surrender. Damnit, Kadowaki had been far too thorough in her reporting, or Squall was better at reading between the lines than he’d once been. What had ever happened to doctor patient privilege anyway? “Hyne, I finally get you to talk and you make ridiculous demands like that.”

Squall rolled his eyes and started down the path back to Garden, stepping carefully in the gathering dusk. “You asked, I just answered.”

“I guess I did… I tell you what, I’ll make SeeD this time but I want something in return.”

Squall stopped on the path, looking back up at him. He was faintly bemused. Seifer did note that he was also half trying to run away from their conversation. Probably because he’d used up several years worth of word allocation and was attempting to escape before he’d be stuck with simply saying _whatever_ until thirty. “Besides a wage and a job?”

“I could get that anywhere, even just running freelance and you know it.”

“Okay, fine, what is it you want?”

“I want you to ignore everything I said about the Trabians,” Seifer sated, and when Squall opened his mouth to protest he shot; “ _Or_ , I want a kiss when I make SeeD.”

“...Both of which are… inappropriate. I ignore bullying or I kiss one of my students.”

“Who is older than you and taller. Handsomer…”

“More egotistical….”

“And wouldn’t be a student at the point we’re discussing. Also, I’m just noting that you have already entirely ruled out the leaving the Trabians alone,” Seifer shrugged. “In favour of kissing me.”

“I can’t permit bullying and they need to learn to be impartial.”

Seifer forced a pout that even Squall himself would have been proud of. He pretended to be hurt, just to keep up appearances. “Aww, you mean it’s not just because you want to kiss me?”

“Oh no,” Squall gave him a little smirk. “That’s just a bonus.”

********

Squall was fairer than Cid. He did not call all cadets up and announce the results of the SeeD test to all and sundry, he called in participants one by one and reviewed their performance privately. Seifer, of course, was the last to be called. There were whispers about why as soon as the review slots were announced, and someone - someone Trabian, Seifer presumed - had suggested it was so that he could be handed straight over to the Galbadian authorities immediately after he’d been expelled. 

He would be twenty before the next run, so this was his last attempt.

His name was called by Selphie Tilmitt, and Seifer kept his head held high as he slipped past her and into the headmaster’s office, letting the door close behind him. “So…?”

“Is that all you have to say?” Squall was sat behind the headmaster’s desk, looking tired. It had been a long day, a several day mission and SeeD examination culminating in many long hours of personal reviews. Seifer genuinely suspected Squall would have said more words in that single day than he had in perhaps the previous six months. “So?”

“Look, either I get locked up or I get to kiss you, I’m trying to get it out of the way fast if it's the former.”

Squall stood behind the desk. He’d ditched the SeeD jacket again, leaving himself in just a white button down shirt. It was open at the collar, showing his pale throat and the little flash of griever’s silver chain hidden underneath it. He picked up an envelope and held it out. “Level 7. I particularly wanted to compliment you on your strategy in dealing with that ambush.”

“I am particularly proud of kicking that asshole into touch,” Seifer gave Squall a smirk and took the envelope carefully, still wary of a trap. 

“Try not to get disciplined for insubordination before the week’s out, Seifer,” Squall said his tone a familiar long suffering one as he rounded the obstacle between them. “Your next commanding officer might be less deserving of being tossed over a hedge.”

“Considering it’s probably going to be you, I’ll take that under advisement.”

Squall rolled his eyes, but otherwise did not respond.

“So… rumour has it you’re leaving.”

“After Yule.” 

Seifer hid his disappointment under a veneer of bravado as usual. He’d hoped Squall would somehow change his mind, even if it might have meant the worst for the world. Squall was supposed to get his happy ever after and continue to do the things he was so very good at. Not be pushed into a life of staid greyness. “Hey. You never said the president of Esthar was your dad.”

Squall leant back against his desk, perching on the edge of it and folding his arms across his chest. He was slightly standoffish, perhaps that was not the best topic to move onto. Seifer wasn’t sure whether his own presence or the connection with the Estharian President would be more of a potential compromise to the people who surrounded Squall from a professional standpoint. “You never asked.”

“You do know how ridiculous that is, right?” Seifer gave Squall his best grin. He wasn’t sure himself whether he meant the fact that Squall’s father was Laguna Loire, or the idea of asking if Squall just happened to be harbouring any famous genetic relatives.

“You don’t know the half of it. He’s a Galbadian army deserter too. He was in a movie once, apparently fate has it in for my family.”

“Is anything about your life normal?”

“Last I checked? Nope,” Squall shrugged, his small, sweet smile firmly in place. “I’m going to get to know my family properly and maybe figure out what to do next. In a place I don’t have to order kids to their deaths.”

“I’ll miss you,” Seifer admitted. It felt good to say it out loud. The previous months had seemed to fly by since he and Squall had come to their weird duelling peace. Somehow knowing they shared the knightly burden had helped. Seifer had felt a little less alone in the world since Squall had admitted his troubles up on the duelling plain. “You’re the only person left here that gives a shit about me.”

“I’ll miss you too. It’ll be weird not having someone to duel with.”

“No one out there uses gunblades?”

“No one out there uses gunblades like you,” Squall shook his head. The highest compliment Seifer had ever heard from him and it was a soft little throwaway comment like that. Seifer couldn’t bring himself to speak for a moment. It was about as generous with compliments as Squall ever got, to Seifer’s knowledge. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Seifer shrugged, forcing a smile. “So… now I finally made it, do I get my kiss?”

“I’m waiting for you to kiss me.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Seifer snagged Squall by his belt loop, pulling him back onto his feet and then closer. He could count the number of people he’d kissed in his life on one hand, but none of them could compare to the way Squall kissed him. The way that Squall’s mouth felt on his own was just… perfect. As though Squall had been made entirely to kiss him. He tasted of fresh coffee and smelt faintly of leather and woodsmoke, and his lips were just so soft and sweet against his own that Seifer didn’t want to stop kissing him. Then Squall’s tongue slipped between his lips like a thief to take his breath away in the most beautiful sensation that Seifer had ever been fortunate enough to experience. That little electric thrill of pleasure that curled along his veins was addictive, and he had to breakaway to just breathe again.

“Was it worth it?” Squall asked softly, tipping his head to gauge Seifer’s reaction. 

“I… yeah,” Seifer said, releasing his grip on Squall slowly. He stepped back and put some space between them, dragging a hand through his hair. “I guess… I’ll see you at the SeeD ball, Commander.”

“Of course. Congratulations again, SeeD Almasy,” Squall gave him the little smile again and returned to his seat. 

“Sure, thanks,” Seifer said absently, and headed for the door. The kiss hadn’t meant anything, he reminded himself, it was a way to tease Squall, a way to get one over on him, a joke. It was nothing. 

But if it was nothing, why was his heart pounding against his ribs like that?

**Author's Note:**

> I've got one more full fic set in this world and a very rough conversation/argument between Squall and Seifer besides that I never finished. I might mess with that, or if I post the other one of this world's stuff, I may append it to the end. Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
